The NBA's Absolute Dominance

Chapter 141 Round the World
After the draft, the Heat signed Dell Curry to a five-year, $8.5 million contract, and Curry's family moved to Miami.

Barkley, who had just won the championship and was named Finals MVP, signed a five-year, $2200 million contract extension with the Suns.

With the free agency window open, the Heat and other teams have begun making various moves.

There aren't many good players in today's free agency market.

Among unrestricted free agents, notable examples include Dennis Rodman, A.C. Green, and Avery Johnson.

Besides these, there are also some role players.

In addition, physical defenders have become a rare "ingredient" that teams are scrambling to acquire, with scouts and agents even reaching out to the NFL.

However, the price has skyrocketed. If the weight reaches 130 kilograms, you won't even get a job from an agent unless you earn a million-dollar annual salary.

Many heavyweight players who retired from the NFL due to injuries, but are still able to play, have started having their agents contact various NBA teams in order to make money.

Lewis Shaffer had already contacted Avery Johnson, an undrafted player with good defense and assists. He played for six or seven teams in five years, and the Spurs traded him twice before letting him go again.

Shaffer offered Avery Johnson a three-year, $250 million contract ($65, $85, $100 million), and Johnson signed it without hesitation.

At shooting guard, Steve Smith is still a viable option. He's only in his second year, his defense can be improved, and there's no better player available on the free agent market.

Additionally, combo guard Kevin Edwards, who is out for the season, has good defensive effort, better than Bimbo Coles, Brian Shaw, and Harold Miner. He averages 1.7 steals per game this year and also has the ball-handling and penetration ability that the team currently lacks.

The player's contract has expired, and the question is how much ability he still has after the serious injury, which is a question that must be determined.

In addition, Edwards has certain requirements for annual salary, at least several million US dollars, which poses a challenge for salary management and leaves little room for maneuver.

There's also the problem at the small forward position; we can't find a wing defender who is good at defense and also has some offensive ability and the ability to drive to the basket.

He did contact Dan Mali, the Suns' swingman whose contract had expired, but Mali had already reached a contract with the Suns.

The Trail Blazers' defensive stalwart Jerome Chelsea is very good, but he has also reached a contract extension agreement with the Trail Blazers.

Moreover, Chelsea's annual salary is as high as 270 million, making it impossible to sign him even if they wanted to.

A trade is possible. Glen Rice is a valuable trade asset by any measure, and it would be perfectly acceptable to trade him for a top-class defensive small forward.

Glen Rice's scoring ability ranks among the top five in the league's small forward position, and he's also very accurate from three-point range, so it would be a shame to trade him.

However, his defense is not good. His athleticism is average, his lateral movement speed is slow, and his defense lacks aggression. He is unable to lock down opponents one-on-one and also lacks help defense.

The power forward position also needs a move. Rodman is good; he has rebounding and defense, and can help Tang Bei with the dirty work, but his personality is not good, and he doesn't have a mid-range shot, so he can't create space.

But the main issue is that Rodman is too expensive. He was a rebounding champion and a member of the All-Defensive First Team in the 92/93 season. His agent is asking for an annual salary of $250 million, with a minimum three-year contract and no short-term offers.

They only have $1517.5 million in salary cap space for next season, which is already full. If they sign Rodman, they would have to buy out the contracts of several players, and they wouldn't even be able to fill a full 12-man roster.

Of course, it's not impossible to sign him, but we have to trade John Salley. Salley's annual salary next season will reach $245 million, which is just enough cap space to give to Rodman.

Trading John Salley for Rodman would be a good option, as Lewis Shaffer is still very interested in Rodman.

He calculated the Heat's salary cap space.

Tang Bei $325 million, John Salley $245 million, Steve Smith $225 million, Glen Rice $200 million, Brian Shaw $151 million, Grant Long $141 million, Dale Curry $140 million, Willie Burton $100 million, Bimbo Coles $80 million, Avery Johnson $65 million, Keith Askins $31 million, Matt Geiger $25 million.

With 12 players on contract and $1793 million in cap space, the Heat have no room left after accounting for injuries, the mid-level exception, and amnesties. Avery Johnson's contract was signed with the mid-level exception just before the deadline.

Before Rodman, Kevin Edwards needs to be renewed first, which requires freeing up at least one million dollars in cap space.

Strengthening a team is like robbing Peter to pay Paul. After considering all the options, there are a few too many players for the position one. There are four players who can play the position one, so we'll trade one of them out.

With Avery Johnson, Bimbo Coles is no longer needed, and with the addition of fringe player Keith Askins, we can save up a million dollars in cap space to sign Edwards.

Of course, we need to see how well Edwards is recovering from his injury before we can discuss a contract extension.

However, he put Bimbo Coles and Keith Askins on the shelf first.

As for John Salley, there weren't many good backups at the center position, but he was put on the trading block as well.

Glen Rice hasn't put it on yet; he needs to think about it some more.

While the Heat were considering Rodman, the Bulls were also considering signing him.

Cobra Grant is the starting power forward, and theoretically his position overlaps with Worm's, so he has a stronger offensive ability. It's also unknown whether Worm can play the triangle offense, so there's no need to bring in Worm.

But Rodman's defense and rebounding were better than Grant's, and Jerry Krause was considering replacing Grant, who only had one year left on his contract.

However, the Bulls also face the same salary cap issue as the Heat. Signing Rodman would require freeing up more than two million dollars in cap space.

In addition, the Bulls lack a defensive center, so Jerry Krause has set his sights on the NFL, looking for another consumable player.

At 11:7 AM on July 21, the luxury cruise ship Freedom docked at the Tianjing New Port Passenger Terminal.

Eric Fleischer and John Liu had already visited the Tang family, and yesterday they brought Tang Bei's parents and three younger siblings to Tianjing.

"Mom and Dad, second, third, and fourth child."

From a distance, Tang Bei waved and shouted loudly.

It had been over a year since we last met, and his eyes immediately welled up with tears.

"Big brother."

Tang Ning took off running up.

"Fourth brother, you're already this tall?"

Tang Bei released the suitcase and lifted Tang Ning into the air.

"I am ten years old."

Tang Ning exclaimed excitedly, "Big brother, I've missed you so much!"

"Your older brother misses you too."

At this moment, everyone else came over. Tang Bei put down Lao Si and greeted him for a while.

“Mom and Dad, this is Elena Garbo. Garbo, these are my parents.” He then introduced them.

"Uncle and Aunt, hello." Jia Bao obediently stepped forward and greeted them in Mandarin.

"Oh my, what a beautiful girl! And she can even speak Chinese, that's wonderful!" Lin Lan's eyes crinkled with laughter as she looked at Jia Bao.

"Big brother, is she your apprentice or your girlfriend?" The third brother, Tang Yu, glanced at Jia Bao behind Tang Bei and asked in a low voice.

"All."

Tang Bei smiled.

During the more than one month they spent on the cruise ship, spending every day together and inseparable, his relationship with Jia Bao grew increasingly intimate, transcending the teacher-student relationship and slowly transforming into a romantic relationship.

“Garbo, this is me…”

He then introduced his three younger brothers and sisters.

Tang Yu is sixteen years old, two years younger than Jia Bao. Jia Bao is a little taller, standing at 1.8 meters, while Tang Yu is 1.75 meters tall.

With no language barrier, the two quickly struck up a conversation, naturally about Tang Bei, since they had just met and had nothing else to talk about.

Tang Ning was very clever; knowing that this was her future sister-in-law, she quickly became familiar with Jia Bao.

We had a brief chat at the pier before leaving.

Tang Bei drove his Hummer H1 and the BJ Cherokee he bought later from home, and John Liu rented a nine-seater Mercedes-Benz van in Tianjing to carry the luggage. There were three vans in total. They planned to have lunch in the city first, and then go home after lunch.

"Tang, there are a lot of fans outside the dock," John Liu reminded him before getting into the car.

Tang Bei didn't pay much attention, thinking there would be at most a few dozen, but as soon as the car left the dock, good heavens, there were hundreds, a huge, dark mass of them. There were many police officers maintaining order, and the car quickly came to a standstill.

He had to get out of the car to greet the fans, and it took him almost an hour to leave.

Next, wherever he goes, he will be recognized immediately, and soon crowds will form, causing traffic jams.

After finishing her meal, Garbo went directly to the capital with Eric Fleischer and the others. The Tang family's house was too dilapidated; there was simply no place for her to stay.

After traveling for a little over 2 PM, Tang Bei returned to his hometown, Huanghuadian Village, Wuqing County. The township and village were as festive as if it were a holiday.

He only stayed at home for two days, and his family kept coming and going every day. Not only could he not stand it anymore, but his family was also annoyed.

Another thing is that we're planning to renovate the house; the old house will have to be demolished.

The day after he arrived home, he received some city and county leaders. On the third day, he visited Master Li Zhongxuan, who lived in the city, and the family of Master Liu Fengcai. Li Zhongxuan was seventy-eight years old. He did not run a martial arts school and had no other disciples. He only had one grandson who inherited his martial arts skills. The grandson was older than Tang Bei, almost forty years old, and was now living a simple life.

Master Liu Fengcai passed away in 87, but the Liu family is still teaching apprentices. Her grand-nephew Liu Shuxing is the second-generation successor and is now 46 years old.

On the 24th, he dragged his fourth brother, Tang Ning, to the Municipal Sports Bureau.

Why are we holding her? Because this little girl doesn't want to go.

However, she has good athletic talent; she runs faster than a dog and has explosive power. He wants to train her and see if she can develop in sprinting.

The director of the sports bureau personally took the two siblings to the municipal sports school to test Tang Ning's talent. He thought it was indeed good, so he recruited Tang Ning into the municipal sports school.

Formal sprint training usually begins at age six and continues until age nine, focusing on learning correct movements and establishing exercise habits.

But this stage is the nurturing stage; the real entry stage begins at age nine, and Tang Ning is at the perfect age now.

"Big brother, I hate you for leaving me here all alone." The little girl stared at Tang Bei, her face full of anger and frustration.

Tang Bei patted Tang Ning's head and said, "You can train here first. Later, I'll see if I can get you to the United States to receive more advanced sprint training."

"I'm just a kid now. When I grow up, hmph!" The little girl glared angrily at Tang Bei.

"What do you want to do when you grow up?"

Tang Bei flicked the fourth brother's nose and said, "Your parents and your second brother and third sister will pick you up every week. Train hard here, understand?"

"understood."

The die is cast, and there's no way to change it, so Tang Ning had no choice but to accept it.

After leaving Tang Ning at the sports school, Tang Bei went to Beijing to visit his master, Sun Jianyun.

The old lady was seventy-nine years old. Like Master Li Zhongxuan, she was in good health and spirits. When she saw Tang Bei arrive, she clamored to spar with her young apprentice.

He was a direct disciple of the Li, Liu, and Sun families. Not only did he not pay a single penny in tuition, but they also took care of his food, drink, and daily necessities during his martial arts training.

Given his family's circumstances, the fact that they were able to persevere is largely due to the efforts of these three families.

Each family left behind one million yuan, firstly to honor their master, and secondly for the promotion of martial arts.

Especially Grandma Sun Jianyun, who, despite her age, still travels frequently. This year, she even made a trip to Guangzhou to promote martial arts.

Then I went to register with the Basketball Association, met with leaders such as Liu Yumin and the men's basketball head coach Jiang Xinquan at the basketball department, and then spent time with Jiabao in Beijing.

Wherever I go, traffic jams will soon form, even if I go to climb the Badaling Great Wall.

Half of the investment team that Jia Bao assembled for him has already left; those were family members. The rest were her parents' people, who remained in Beijing.

However, the investment plan has already been prepared, dozens of copies, complete with various analysis reports and market research reports.

"Wet Tiger, if you want to invest in real estate, I suggest you go to Lujiazui, not Hainan, which is currently the hottest place. Hainan's real estate market has already started to bubble, and if you go in now, you'll be buying at the peak, as high as the Himalayas."

"What real estate investment? I just want to buy a few storefronts to prepare for my second, third, and fourth children, and see if they can start a small business or something."

"Wet Tiger, you have 55 million US dollars in cash, which is worth 3.22 million RMB at the current exchange rate. How much could you spend to buy a few storefronts?"

"Then what do you mean?"

"Take a good look at these plans before you decide."

"it is good."

“The land price in Lujiazui is currently $500 per square meter. By forming a joint venture, we can circumvent the restrictions on foreign investment in land purchases. This way, my funds can come in, and we can also obtain policy support and have priority in choosing commercial and industrial land planned by the government.”

"Garbo, you want to get into real estate?"

"Isn't your country currently undergoing reform and opening up and developing industry? The inevitable result of industrial development is urbanization and a surge in urban population, so now is the perfect time to develop real estate in big cities."

"How much profit can be made?"

"The projected annual profit is at least 10-15%, and if we rapidly expand the scale, the profit will also increase exponentially. Of course, the same goes for debt."

"But to get a large amount of loans, you need to have connections in the financial world. If you can't get loans, you can only operate on a small scale with your own funds. You can't quickly achieve cash flow and can't form a scale advantage."

"Then let's start a real estate company together?"

"Half for each person, split 50/50."

"Okay. But we don't have any connections in banks in China, so let's keep it small."

"That's also possible. We can build a few high-rise buildings and collect rent, just like my Elena Building."

"okay."

"But we can't just invest in one project. There are many other investment plans here. Let's discuss it further and choose a physical project."

"Let me see first."

"Hmph, if I can't inherit the family assets, I'll make my own money. Wet Tiger, you'll help me, okay? Give me your little bit of money to manage, and I'll make money for you."

"it is good."

"Whee!"

After spending two days in Beijing, Tang Bei wanted to buy a house here as a place to stay.

Because of his regular training needs, he wants to buy a yard and build a gym and basketball hoop there for convenience.

There are indeed commercial apartments for sale in Beijing now, but they don't have courtyards, so they're not convenient to live in. Also, since these are newly launched commercial apartments, they're all small rooms with small areas, and they're not easy to buy.

Some hotels are convenient, with gyms, but none have basketball training facilities.

I asked Zhang Heli about it, and he said that a courtyard with one, two, three, or four sections generally costs between 8,000 and 12,000 yuan per square meter. Courtyards with better appearance and craftsmanship are more expensive.

While chatting with Zhang Heli, he mentioned a courtyard with five sections.

This is a well-preserved five-courtyard siheyuan (traditional courtyard house) in Xuanwu District, with complete carvings and paintings, covering an area of ​​1200 square meters.

The courtyard was renovated last year and is now being secretly listed for sale by a real estate agency on a small scale, priced at 2000 million yuan, which is much more expensive than a typical courtyard.

There are almost no five-courtyard houses for sale on the market; the regulations are too strict, and five-courtyard houses are an extremely rare resource.

Zhang Heli told him that the price of this courtyard was too high. Although it was a rare resource, it was listed discreetly, and not many people knew about it, so no one was willing to take it over.

He and Jia Bao immediately contacted a real estate agency to take a look. The courtyard was nice, with carved beams and painted rafters, but it was a bit expensive, so they hesitated.

"I want to buy it, I like it here."

He was still hesitating, thinking it was too expensive, but the young heiress Jia Bao had her eye on it and wanted to snatch the courtyard before him without saying a word.

Unfortunately, there are too many restrictions on foreigners buying such five-courtyard houses in Beijing, making it very difficult and almost impossible. Jia Bao's wish could not be fulfilled, and the real estate agents simply shook their heads.

“Wet Tiger, you buy it, I'll pay.”

Elena Garbo blinked and immediately came up with a solution.

"Fine, I'll buy it and pay for it myself."

Tang Bei made up his mind. It was only three or four million US dollars. He had five endorsements that could contribute more than 20 million US dollars to him every year. He could afford it.

In the end, after some haggling, he bought the yard for $3 million, which is more than 17 million yuan.

The seller is a state-owned enterprise and there are no property rights issues. The yard has been empty all along. The reason they are willing to lower the price is that Tang Bei can pay in US dollars. Currently, large domestic enterprises are desperately in need of foreign exchange.

After buying the yard, you can't move in immediately because the procedures are complicated and require approval from multiple departments, and there's even a possibility that the approval won't be granted.

He went back to Huanghuadian, rented a house in the village, started construction on his old house, and moved his family to live in the village.

"Boss, why didn't you buy a house in Tianjingwei? How did you end up buying one in Beijing?" Li Lan asked, knowing that Tang Bei had bought a courtyard house in the capital.

"Mom, my investment team suggested that the economy in Beijing is developing faster, so wouldn't that be a better way to preserve value?" Tang Bei explained.

"how much did you spend?"

"three million."

"Tsk tsk, that's way too expensive!"

"hehe!"

(End of this chapter)